Almost all citrus fruit is harvested by hand. Citrus harvesting may require tens of thousands engaged in what is often unrewarding and dangerous labor. The season may last only a few months and the hands involved must find other work off season, with the resulting geographical migration detrimental to migrant families and taxing to stationary communities. The resulting high cost in the United States is burdensome to citrus fruit growers and positions them at a disadvantage to competitors overseas with easy access to cheap labor.
In an attempt to address this problem, bulk citrus removal has been proposed, funded, and acted on with vigor. In multiple waves over the last century, growers—particularly of fruit that is processed into juice—have tried trunk shaking, canopy shaking, raking, and mass mechanical penetration. However, these efforts have disappointed. Where some other crops, such as nuts, olives, cherries and prunes may be economically mass removed, citrus is more difficult as the high forces required, up to 20 pounds for an orange, may not be practicable.